First Serving: Food as Impetus for Craft

The Craft in America Study Center in Los Angeles is featuring a three-part series of exhibitions focusing on the intersection of contemporary craft and food, “Good Enough to Eat: the Fusion of Food and Craft.” These shows explore work by innovators who are redefining craft and the new role that it serves in our increasingly food-centric culture.

The exhibitions approach food-driven craft from three angles: food as impetus for craft: November 17, 2012-January 19, 2013; food as subject for craft: February 2, 2013 – April 6, 2013; and food as medium for craft: April 20, 2013 – June 22, 2013.

Food was a motivational font for craft from its earliest origins. Objects have facilitated and elevated the act of cooking and consumption throughout history, from woven baskets to clay storage jars, blown glass vessels and metal utensils. The first segment, “Food as Impetus for Craft,” featured functional, exceptional objects designed for the multisensory enhancement of food preparation or presentation.

The second portion of the exhibition, “Food as Subject for Craft,” features work by artists who deal with edible subject matter in their creations, through visual depiction or conceptual reference. Among the selected artists, glass maestra Beth Lipman brings the still life into three dimensions with sculptures that appear frozen in time. Sienna DeGovia, an emerging Los Angeles artist, explores issues of superficiality and overindulgence through polymer sculptures of candy and other hyper-saccharinated treats. Known for his whimsical mixed media assemblages, Peter Shire causes us to question the boundaries between functional and purely sculptural handmade objects.

“Food as Medium for Craft,” the final segment, includes a range of work created from edible materials. The work will span from professional artists who are boldly experimenting with new potential substances, to master carvers from beyond the traditional confines of the art world who sculpt fruit, vegetable and dairy products into over-the-top showstoppers. This third segment broadens definitions of craft and examine historic, yet overlooked aspects of the craft world.

The following artists are exhibiting in this show: Bill Burke, Chunghi Choo, Chandra DeBuse, Julia Galloway, Katherine Gray, Mark Hewitt, Marc Maiorana, Bob Kramer, Scott McGlasson, Lisa Medlen, Christopher Melia, Fritz Muegenburg, Jeff Oestriech, Nick Rosato, Peter Shire, Adam Simha, Christina Smith, Ed Wohl.